Protective headgear



May 20, 1947. J. F. DAUSTER PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR .Filed May 23, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

wrr/vssses BY .6 9. M aw g dy 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVIENTORL QM, Mwum" Patented May 20, 1947 I I 2ii420,937 I PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR John F. Dauster, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 23, 1944, Serial No. 536,883

8 Claims.

This invention relates to protective headgear provided with head bands that are adjustable so that the headgear can be made to fit heads of various sizes.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide headgear having an adjustable head band which is enlarged or contracted throughout its circumference when adjusted, which is supported by the cradle within the crown of the headgear, which is not attached to the crown, and which has no metal in contact with the head.

In accordance with this invention, a headgear is provided with a head band that can be adjusted for size, such as by detachably connecting together its overlapping ends in different positions. The overlap is generally at the back of the band and the band spaces from the head any member used to detachably connect the overlapping ends of the band. The front and back of the band are supported by the lower ends of the usual cradle straps which cross the head and space it from the top of the crown. The lower ends of these straps, as well as of the cradle straps which extend to the sides of the crown, are connected to the crown. Supporting members are secured to the lower ends of the straps above their points of connection to the crown. Each of these members attached to the side straps is provided with a slot extending lengthwise of the band for slidably receiving a stud secured to the adjacent portion of the band. When the size of the band is reduced, all of the band-supporting members are pulled radially inwardly because they are connected to the crown through the cradle straps which can flex to permit such movement. At the same time the studs are pulled rearwardly in the slots in the supporting members at the sides of the crown, whereby the entire head band is contracted; not just the portion behind the supporting members at the sides.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a helmet with a portion of it broken away to show the head band and one of its supports; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the helmet taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the band-adjusting means.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a helmet is shown which is the type generally worn for protection by construction workers, miners, etc. However, this invention is not limited to any particular type of protective headgear, as it is obvious that it is equally applicable to military helmets, sunhelmets, miners caps and the like. Inside the helmet crown I there are the usual cradle straps 2. Each strap is doubled upon itself to form, in effect, two straps at the front, back and each side of the crown. A draw-string 3 connects the folded upper ends of the straps for completing the cradle that rests on the head to distribute thereover any shocks received by the headgear. The lower ends of the straps are folded outwardly and upwardly to form loops' 4 through which passes a cord 5 that extends around the crown close to its integral brim. This cord is on the outside of the crown except at points adjacent the strap loops, where it extends through holes in the crown so that it can pass through those loops to connect the straps to the crown.

Fastened to the lower end portions of each pair of straps, above their loops 4, are the opposite ends of a relative stiff T-shape supporting member 6, l, 8 or 9 which may be made from a synthetic plastic or any other suitable material. Preferably, the ends of each of these members are disposed between the folded-up ends of a strap and its overlapped portions, and are riveted thereto as shown in Fig. 1. The lower central portion of the front supporting member 5 (Fig. 2) is provided with a pair of laterally spaced slits through which is looped a tape 11 that is secured at its ends to the outer layer of the double thickness or folded head band It.

The lower central portion of the rear supporting member I likewise is provided with a pair of laterally spaced slits through which a flexible metal staple l3 extends, as shown in Fig. 4. In front of member 1 the opposite ends of the head band are brought together with one end inserted between the two layers of the other end. The two overlapping outer layers of the band are provided adjacent their lower edges with a series of equally spaced vertical slits M (Fig. 3) through two of which the staple extends. The ends of the staples are bent away from each other between the inner and outer layers of the band. so the inner laver separates the metal staple from the head. In order to hold the overla ping inner layers of the band together. one of them is provided along its upper edge with a series of vertical slits I5, and the end of the other has an integral tab IE that projects through the nearest slit. The end of the tab is considerably larger than the slit, so it locks the two layers together.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the lower central portion of each of the supporting members 8 and 9 at the sides of the crown is provided with a slot I 8 extending lengthwise or circumferentially of the band. Slidable lengthwise of each of these slots is a stud IS the inner end of which is secured in the outer layer of the head band. The outer end of the stud is headed over so that it can not come out of the slot.

Assuming that the head band is enlarged to its greatest size, studs 19 will be at the front ends of slots [8 as shown in Fig. 1. Now if a smaller head band is desired in order to fit a smaller head, staple I3 is straightened, the ends of the band are removed from it and overlapped to a greater extent and then reconnected to the staple. This reduces the circumference of the head band and, due to supporting members 6, 1, 8 and 9 being connected to the cradle straps above the points of connection of the straps to the crown, the supporting members are all drawn radially inwardly toward the center of the crown. At the same time the studs slide backwardly in slots l8 so that the front half of the band will be contracted as much as the rear half, instead of all of the reduction in size taking place in the rear half. The combination of inward movement of the band-supporting members and rearward movement of the studs causes the band to be substantially uniformly spaced from the surrounding wall of the crown regardless of the size of the band. The helmet is therefore as comfortable to wear and as good a fit when the band is small as when it is large. Moreover, no metal members extend through the inner layer of the band.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and construction of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In a protective headgear crown, an adjustabie head band, cradle straps having their lower ends connected to the crown beside the band, supporting members carried by said straps beside the band and provided with slots extending circumferentialy of the band, and studs secured to the band and slidably mounted in said slots.

2. In a protective headgear crown, a head band having ends adjustably connected together at the back, cradle straps having their lower ends connected to the crown beside the band, supporting members carried by the lower ends of said straps at opposite sides of the crown, each of said members being provided with a slot extending lengthwise of the band, and a stud slidably mounted in each slot and secured to the adjacent portion of the band.

3. In a protective headgear crown, a head band having ends adjustably connected together at the back, cradle straps having their lower ends connected to the crown beside the band, a supporting member at each side of the crown secured at its opposite ends to the lower strap ends, said member being provided with a centrally located slot extending lengthwise thereof, and a stud slidably mounted in each slot and secured to the adjacent portion of the band.

4. In a protective headgear crown, an adjustable head band, cradle straps at the front and back and sides of the crown, means for connecting the lower ends of said straps to the crown beside the band, means for attaching the front and back of the band to the front and back straps, supporting members carried by the side straps beside the band, each of said members being provided with a slot extending lengthwise of the band, and a stud slidably mounted in each slot and secured to the adjacent portion of the band. 5. In a protective headgear crown, an adjustable head band, cradle straps at the front and back and sides of the crown, means for connecting the lower ends of said straps to the crown beside the band, supporting members attached to the straps above said connecting means, means for connecting the front and back members to said band, each of the side members being provided with a slot extending lengthwise of the band, and a stud slidably mounted in each slot and secured to the adjacent portion of the band, whereby when said band is made smaller all of said members are pulled by it toward the center of the crown and said studs are moved lengthwise of said slots.

6. In a protective headgear crown, an adjustable head band having inner and outer layers with one end of the band inserted between the layers of the other end of the band, the overlapping end portions of the outer layer of the band being provided with openings, a fastening member extending through some of said openings for detachably connecting the head band ends together, cradle straps havin their lower ends connected to the crown beside the band, supporting members carried by said straps beside the band and provided with slots extending circumferentially of the band, and studs secured to the outer layer of the band and slidably mounted in said slots.

7. In a protective headgear crown, an adjustable head band having inner and outer layers with one end of the band inserted between the layers of the other end of the band, the overlapping end portions of the outer layer of the band being provided with openings, a fastening member extending through some of said openings for detachably connecting the head band ends together, the inner layer of one of said overlapping ends being provided with slits, and the adjoining inner layer of the overlapping ends having at its end an integral locking tab extending through one of said slits.

8. In a protective headgear crown, an adjustable head band, cradle straps at the front and back and sides of the crown, the lower ends of said straps being provided with loops and said crown being provided beside the band with holes through its wall, a, cord extending through said loops and in and out through said holes to connect the straps to the crown, supporting members attached at their opposite ends to the straps above said loops at the front and back and sides of the crown, means connecting the front and back members to the band, each of the side members being provided with a centrally located slot extending lengthwise of the band, and a stud slidably mounted in each slot and secured to the ad jacent portion of the band,

JOHN F. DAUSTER. 

